Texas Midwife, Assistant Are First Offenders Arrested for Allegedly Performing Abortions During State’s Near-Total Ban

A Texas midwife and her assistant were arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions, making them the first to face criminal charges under a near-total ban on abortion in the state.Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, known as “Dr. Maria,” and her employee, Jose Ley, are alleged to have conducted a number of illegal procedures without proper medical licenses out of a network of clinics in the Houston area. They were arrested on Monday and charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony that carries a 20-year prison sentence, and practicing medicine without a license. Both are being held on a pair of bonds totaling $700,000.“In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted,” Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas says in a released statement. “Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable.”An investigation under AG Paxton’s Law Enforcement Division found that Ms. Rojas operated clinics in Waller, Cypress, and Spring. Each facility employed staff falsely presenting themselves as licensed medical professionals.Prosecutors at Waller County allege that Ms. Rojas performed illegal abortions on a cash-only basis, according to court documents obtained by KPRC.The AG’s program enforcement division has shuttered the network of clinics and will likely seek civil penalties of $100,000 per violation under the Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021.Performing abortions in Texas, which are only permitted when there is a risk of death or “substantial impairment on a major bodily function,” can carry a term of life in prison.Friends of Ms. Rojas maintain that she is innocent of any wrongdoing.“I think she’s innocent,” Holly Shearman told the local news outlet. “She’s a wonderful Christian woman.”“It’s not part of our scope of practice. I can’t see her doing something like this.”

Texas Midwife, Assistant Are First Offenders Arrested for Allegedly Performing Abortions During State’s Near-Total Ban

More from the New York Sun

More Than a Major at Stake for LIV Golfers, Rahm and DeChambeau, at PGA Championship

James Comey Denounces Trump’s ‘Bottomless’ Desire for Revenge — and Predicts a Third Indictment

Seattle Teacher in Lead for Top Union Post Faces Police Review Amid Child Abuse Allegations

New York Times Denounced for Publishing Opinion Article Claiming Israeli Officials Have Trained Dogs To Rape Palestinian Prisoners

Artistic Sights That Should Not Be Left ‘Unseen,’ Courtesy of the Bernsteins of Chicago

Cost of Iran War Reaches $29 Billion as Lawmakers Press for Answers on Ceasefire and Munitions

New Report Reveals Barbarity of Sexual Assaults, Genital Mutilations by Hamas on October 7, During Hostage Crisis

Most Accurate 2024 Pollsters Give Democrats 15-Point Lead in Generic Congressional Ballot